South Korea is stripping Jill Kelley of her title, which carries no official responsibility.

Story highlights

A South Korean official says Jill Kelley's use of her honorary title was "not suitable"

A New York businessman accused her of using that designation to solicit business

Kelley's complaint about harassing e-mails led to the resignation of CIA chief David Petraeus

South Korea is stripping the title of "honorary consul" from Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite embroiled in the scandal that brought down CIA Director David Petraeus, a South Korean official said Monday.

Kelley will lose that designation after a New York businessman accused her of trying to use the honorary title to solicit business, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun told the semi-official South Korean news agency Yonhap.

"It's not suitable to the status of honorary consul that (she) sought to be involved in commercial projects and peddle influence. It's also inappropriate as honorary consul," Yonhap quoted Kim as telling South Korean reporters during a visit to Washington.

Kelley's title, which carries no official responsibility, came to light after Petraeus abruptly resigned on November 9 and admitted to an extramarital affair. Federal investigators learned of the affair after Kelley complained to an FBI agent that she was receiving harassing e-mails from a woman later identified as Petraeus's mistress, Paula Broadwell.

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Photos: Who's who in the Petraeus scandal 6 photos

Photos: Who's who in the Petraeus scandal6 photos

Who's who in the Petraeus scandal – Gen. David Petraeus, 60, resigned Friday, November 9, as head of the CIA and admitted having an affair. His mistress was later identified as his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The retired four-star general formerly oversaw coalition forces in Iraq as well as U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. He and his wife, Holly, have been married 38 years and have two grown children.

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Photos: Who's who in the Petraeus scandal6 photos

Paula Broadwell – Paula Broadwell, 40, is a West Point graduate raising two children with her husband Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her affair with CIA Director David Petraeus led to his resignation. She got to know him while working on a Ph.D. dissertation about him. Alleged "jealous" e-mails she wrote anonymously to another woman, Jill Kelley, brought the affair to light, a government source told CNN.

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Photos: Who's who in the Petraeus scandal6 photos

Jill Kelley – Jill Kelley, 37, allegedly received "jealous" e-mails from Paula Broadwell, which the FBI investigated, a government source told CNN. The probe brought the affair between Broadwell and CIA Director David Petraeus to light. Kelley and her husband, Scott, who live in Tampa, say they've been friends with the Petraeus family for more than five years. Kelley, an unpaid liaison at MacDill Air Force Base, is known in Washington's social circuit.

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Photos: Who's who in the Petraeus scandal6 photos

Gen. John Allen – Gen. John Allen, 58, U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is under investigation for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to Jill Kelley. He denies wrongdoing, according to a senior defense official. Kelley had complained about anonymous e-mails she received, which were found to be from Paula Broadwell. The FBI probe of those e-mails led to the discovery of Broadwell's affair with CIA Director David Petraeus.

Frederick Humphries – Also in the mix is an FBI agent whom Jill Kelley approached about anonymous e-mails she had received. Frederick Humphries had previously sent shirtless photos of himself to Kelley, a U.S. official told CNN. Humphries passed on the information to others to investigate, the source said. The e-mails were determined to be from Paula Broadwell.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Kelley and her husband, Scott, a doctor, hosted parties at their Tampa home for top officers at the nearby headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

After Petraeus resigned, Kelley soon found herself facing questions about flirty e-mails shared with another top U.S. commander, Gen. John Allen, and she invoked her honorary title when she called police on November 11 to complain about reporters besieging her home.

"I am an honorary consul general," Kelley tells police on a recording of the call. "... I have inviolability. They should not be on my property. I don't know if you want to get diplomatic, uh, protection involved as well."

South Korean officials tell CNN that "an honorary consul can generally play a role of promoting trade and economic cooperation between the two countries." It does not, however, carry diplomatic immunity.

A few days later, a New York businessman told CNN that Kelley asked him for an $80 million commission if she used her influence to win a South Korean business contract. She claimed to have been a high-level representative of the South Korean government, energy executive Adam Victor said.

Kelley has kept a low profile and has not returned CNN phone calls seeking comment about the "honorary consul" title. Allen, the current U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has denied any wrongdoing, a senior defense official told CNN, and sources familiar with Kelley have said the relationship between the two was not sexual.

The White House has said that President Barack Obama continues to have faith in Allen's leadership -- but Allen's nomination to become NATO's supreme allied commander has been put on hold pending the outcome of an investigation, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.